Phillip Eng, former head of Long Island Rail Road, tapped as next MBTA GM

By Chris Van Buskirk, masslive.com

BOSTON — Phillip Eng, the former president of the Long Island Rail Road, will take over as general manager of the MBTA, a system that is grappling with reduced service, aging infrastructure, and the implementation of federal safety mandates.

Gov. Maura Healey made the announcement today — capping off a months-long search process which she said last week would conclude “very, very soon” — and planned a 2:30 p.m. press conference to introduce Eng to the public. Eng will take over the general manager role from Jeff Gonneville, who has served as interim head following the departure of Steve Poftak in January.

Eng expressed optimism for the transit agency in a statement announcing his appointment.

“It’s time for a new way of doing business at the MBTA. As an engineer, a transportation professional for 40 years, and a commuter myself, I’m laser-focused on finding innovative solutions to complex problems and approaching them with a sense of urgency that always puts the customer first,” he said. “I’m also committed to supporting the hardworking employees who keep the MBTA running and ramping up hiring to ensure that we have the workforce in place to deliver the reliable service that riders deserve.”

Eng comes to the MBTA with nearly 50 years of experience in transportation and having overseen a transit system in Long Island with 89 million rides per year, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

He first started his career in public service in 1983 at the New York State Department of Transportation, where he worked his way up to executive deputy commissioner and chief engineer. He held that role from 2013 to 2017.

“During his tenure at DOT, [Eng] played a vital role improving project delivery and use of design build while delivering significant projects such as the I-81 Environmental Impact Study, Rochester Train Station, and construction of the new Kosciuszko and the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge bridges,” the agency said of Eng’s work.

He then served as chief operating officer at the MTA where he “spearheaded on modernizing transportation systems through innovative technologies,” the MTA said on its website. The Healey administration said Eng helped oversee a $540 million contract to modernize the MTA’s mobile ticketing system.

And from 2018 to 2022, he was the head of the MTA Long Island Rail Road, where he managed a system with over 7,000 employees and a $1.6 billion operating budget.

Healey said Eng is “the proven leader the MTBA needs to improve safety and reliability across the system and restore the public’s trust.”

“He understands that a functioning transportation system is essential to a functioning economy, and he has a track record of taking the reins of struggling public transit systems and dramatically improving service,” Healey said in a statement. “He also takes a collaborative approach to his work and maintains open lines of communication with customers, workers, businesses, local officials and communities.”

Eng joins the MBTA at a crucial moment.

The agency is still dealing with the fallout of a federal safety inspection that was launched in April 2022 in part in response to the death of Robinson Lalin, who was dragged to death by a Red Line car at the MBTA’s Broadway Station.

Federal train regulators issued a series of safety orders last summer requiring the Massachusetts transit agency to act on everything from track maintenance to staffing issues.

Beyond the federal orders, the agency dealt with safety failure after safety failure last year, at one point even responding to an Orange Line train that caught fire as it crossed the Mystic River.

The MBTA has also made clear in recent weeks that trains will move at slower than normal speeds because of track defects. Those speed restrictions are laid out in an interactive dashboard the agency launched last week.

More than a quarter, or 37 miles, of MBTA tracks are under speed restrictions, according to the dashboard. The MBTA announced a series of weekend shutdowns focused on the Red and Blue Lines, the latter of which has 77% of its track under a speed restriction, to work on aging track.

Administration officials expressed confidence in Eng’s ability to improve service on the MBTA as it deals with multiple difficult problems.

Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca said Eng has “excelled at finding solutions to challenging problems.”

“It’s clear he is focused on customer satisfaction, operational excellence, and championing a safe, reliable transportation system,” Fiandaca said in a statement. “He has wide-ranging experience as an executive manager for mass transit, highways, ports, waterways and aviation facilities.”

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